Disney's Hollywood Studios - Sunset Boulevard

This street has something for just about everyone. It has shops, a couple of thrill rides, and a couple stage shows. The shops are an array of Disney and specialty ones(such as Planet Hollywood). The thrill rides are the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and the Rock n' Roller Coaster. The Tower of Terror is housed in the Hollywood Tower Hotel at the end of the boulevard. The stage shows take place at the Theater of the Stars and the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. The current show playing at the Theater of the Stars is Beauty and the Beast, which is based on Disney's Academy & Grammy winning movie. Fantasmic is performed at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater which is located at the end of the street.



Geek's Thoughts & Suggestions

If you want to go on the Tower of Terror or the Rock n' Roller Coaster, expect long lines for most of the day so go early or very late to get on with a minimal wait time.

Expect to wait for Fantasmic, especially during busy times. During the end of December they were saying to arrive at least 90 minutes before the show to be guaranteed entrance. We arrived almost 2 hours before (and we had perfect seats in the middle (Mickey) section). When we were there in May we arrived about 45 minutes early and had no problems at all. I was there several years ago in May also and arrived 15 minutes prior to showtime, had to stand, but got in.

Fantasmic is one of the best Disney nighttime performances ever (ranks right up there with the Main Street Electrical Parade for me). The show in Orlando is similar, but different from that at Disneyland, so even if you think you have seen it before, you have not. Disney has changed enough of the show to make it worth the wait for Disneygeeks and first time visitors.

Comparison of Fantasmic at WDW to Disneyland's version: (Warning some spoilers included.) After seeing both Fantasmic at Disneyland and this version in WDW, I would have to say that the original in California is unbelievably better. The set they have constructed in Florida is very impressive & the theater itself is great (not a bad seat in the place, unlike Disneyland where you have to look through trees and around posts), but it just did not have the same sense of over powerment as the one at Disneyland did. The first time I saw the show at Disneyland I was totally amazed by it (and I actually sat through all three shows that night). I still continue to go and see the show visit after visit (I bet I have seen it somewhere between in the neighborhood of 75 times). You would think that after over ten years they could add some new and exciting special effects to the show, but of the new effects none made me say WOW. I was extremely disappointed with the steamboat at the end. I know its hard to top the Mark Twain at Disneyland, but I thought this steamboat looked rather simple (I know part of the idea was to make it look as if it jumped out of the cartoon, but I would have expected something else). Another segment that I did not care for was the Pocahontas one. This segment replaced the Peter Pan/Pirate Ship sequence from the original show. The Columbia coming around the corner of the river with pirates flying around on board is a definite show stopper. Where as Pocahontas felt like just another sequence. Also I thought the animated film montage ran really long. After viewing the WDW version several time I think the other reason I don't care for the show is the heavy reliance on the water screens.



Attractions & Entertainment (Parades, Shows & Fireworks)
Current Attractions: Current Entertainment:
  • Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage (Opened: Nov 22, 1991)
  • Fantasmic! (Opened: Oct 15, 1998)
Retired Entertainment:
  • Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy (Mar 31, 2019 - Oct 07, 2024)
Dining Options
  • Starring Rolls Cafe
  • KRNR The Rock Station
  • Sunshine Day Cafe
  • Sunset Ranch Market
    • Anaheim Produce
    • Rossie's All American Café
    • Catalina Eddies
    • Fairfax Fare
    • Hollywood Scoops

Quick Facts
  • The Tower of Terror:
    • 199 ft tall, if it were any higher they would have to put a light on the top so planes could see that it
    • The Motors are: 12ft tall, 7ft wide, 35ft long, 132,000lbs, and produce torque equal to 275 Corvette engines

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